


The Worst

by onlyhereforellick



Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, S17 Spoilers, post 17x01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 20:16:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20784473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlyhereforellick/pseuds/onlyhereforellick
Summary: A beaming smile broke out across her face, “so you do know me after all,” she claimed happily and returned his wink with one of her own.





	The Worst

**Author's Note:**

> Because try as I might, I still had an idea for a post-ep fic despite it being a 2 ep arc...

Minutes after they had all dumped their badges and guns on Vance’s desk, the three of them dragged their feet down to the bullpen to collect their stuff and go.

_ 3 day suspension. _

It had shocked all of them, I mean sure they withheld information, but Gibbs and Ziva were still out there, in danger. They would need their help, even if from behind a desk. But here they were, being sidelined until further notice, or at least till their 3 days penance was up.

Wordlessly they grabbed their go bags and jackets and headed to the elevator. Once the doors slid closed Ellie remembered a certain someone throwing her under the bus.

“Wait! Did you really tell Vance  _I_ was the worst, Torres??” Ellie demanded of him, spinning to face him but not before slamming the emergency stop. McGee just looked perplexed at her shrill tone.

“I mean, yeah, Bishop. You were the worst...you’ve known about Ziva for, how long again?” Nick probed.

Evading that damned question, she was already in rough enough waters with McGee, Ellie replied, “So?? What happened to partners? Trusting each other to have our backs?” Her tone was rising and with it McGee’s discomfort was palpable as he shifted from foot to foot, itching to press the emergency stop.

“Hah!” Torres deadpanned, “Trust. That’s  rich coming from you, Bishop. You wouldn’t know what trust was if it bit you in the ass.” 

“_Excuse me?!_”  Ellie exclaimed taken aback at the deadly serious look he was throwing her way.

“Trust, Bishop. T- R- U- S- T. Trust. Something you clearly don’t grasp. Trust your partner to keep a secret. Trust your partner to know your tell. Trust your partner to not be a murderer. You know, the basics.” Nick finished with a ring of finality to his tone. He flipped the stop button and stoically faced forward. 

Ellie leaped to stop the elevator again, McGee groaned under his breath. “We’re back to this, Nick? You really think I didn’t trust you when you got drugged? Really?” All she got was a look and a shrug like she was right on target. “Wow. You clearly don’t know me at all.”

The fight in her dissipating as fast at it had came, she shifted and gently flicked the stop button. She was tired of letting everyone down, of everyone getting angry at her. She was done. These three days of a break from work were sorely needed.

The elevator jolted to a stop again, but this time it was McGee who stepped past her to hit the button. He looked exasperated when he spoke to them, “For the love of- can you  both get your head’s out of your asses and talk about this?”

“What—“ they both started.

“No, not this thing with Ziva, not the fact that Nick analyzes your neck—which is weird by the way,” he stated raising both eyebrows and throwing a look to Torres. “No, talk about your damn feelings. Which you both—“ McGee slowly looked directly in each of their eyes, “—clearly have. Figure this out between you, whatever it is.” He sighed before continuing, “Tony and Ziva-, well they screwed up. Learn from their mistake and talk about this, be open with one another. Nick, get over Ellie asking you if you killed that girl. It’s Bishop, she’s a logistical analyst, it’s literally how she is wired. Ellie, give the poor guy a break. I know you’ve been burned in the past, but pry open those walls and let the guy in, can’t you see that’s all he wants?” Tim finished by restarting the elevator.

They both stood in silence as they watched McGee exit to the parking garage as the elevator doors finally opened. Nick silently motioned for her to exit before him. Ellie walked a few steps, but then awkwardly stopped.  _Let him in-, feelings? There’s no way Nick Torres liked her...not like that._ As she turned to face him, eyes traveling up from the pavement, she saw a different kind of wall—a built chest, hovering inches from her face. 

“Nick-, I- I’m sorry. I never meant to imply you could be a murderer,” Ellie offered first. 

“Ellie,” he stroked a lock of her hair to place it behind her shoulder as his fingers trailed her neck, “I know. And I wish I could say it didn’t hurt me, that it didn’t still hurt me. But I’d by lying. Do you know why it hurts me?” He asked.

She ever so slightly shook her head in response, too stunned by the intimate touch of his fingers dancing along her neck.

”Because I like you, Ellie. I, really, like you.” Nick stated simply.

“Even my uh- sweaty neck?” she added in with a wet chuckle, she needed to break the tension.

“Even your sweaty neck,” Nick replied seriously. He on the other hand refused to make light of this conversation, apparently heeding McGee’s words. “You know when I noticed your sweaty neck?” he mused.

“Um, no?” she said, confused at the turn he had taken.

“It was back when I had been seeing Annie on occasion,” he started at the same time that Ellie involuntarily sucked in a breath through her teeth. She knew exactly where this was going. “I had asked you if you wanted to double date with us. I think Buckner was considering coming into town and I suggested we all grab drinks. Yeah-, you lied and told me he actually had to cancel his second trip back and we’d rain check.” He paused, off in his own thoughts, “I remember noticing your neck sweating, which was weird since the AC was blasting in the squad room, but thought nothing of it until later that week. Later that week when Buckner called me up inviting me to a ball game since he had a few days left of his trip.” 

Ellie’s eyes diverted downward again, ashamed at her petty lie back then. 

Nick continued on, “It was then I learned your tell. It was also then I realized just how deep I was.”

Ellie glanced up at his words,  _did he mean... _

“You’re not the worst, Ellie. Far from it. Just, please, don’t call me a murderer again?” He pleaded with her.

A quick sniffle as she shook her head in disbelief, “that I can promise you, never again.” She offered a weak smile, it was all she had left in her at this point. 

Nick wiped a stray tear from her face, took her hand and led them to his car. “Come on, let’s go get our minds off work, I’m sure I can think of a few things to help us decompress,” he implied with a sultry wink.

She shot him a look—“Fine, fine. Orrrr we can go over every minute detail we know and figure out how to help Gibbs and Ziva?”

A beaming smile broke out across her face, “so you _do_ know me after all,” she claimed happily and returned his wink with one of her own. 


End file.
